Harbhajan fit and ready to represent Mumbai Indians in the Champions League T20

New Delhi: Critics have ripped him apart in recent times for his poor form but an undeterred Harbhajan Singh says having a clear conscience and performing the role assigned to him by the team is what matters the most.

Harbhajan, who is now fit to play after being ruled out of the England series due to an abdominal muscle strain, insists he could not have taken over 400 Test wickets if he was not good enough at the highest level.

"All these years, I have maintained one thing. After a hard day's play, I go back to my hotel room and look at myself in the mirror. If I know that I have given my 100 percent, that's what matters to me", Harbhajan told PTI in an interview.

"More than what people believe, an individual is the best judge and I can't fool myself," said the 31-year-old off-spinner.

Harbhajan came back after the second Test match in England because of a Grade I abdominal muscle strain and had to undergo intense rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. He is expected to make a comeback for Mumbai Indians in Champions League Twenty20.

"I started bowling even during my rehabilitation. Now I am bowling around 16-17 overs and gradually the workload would increase to 30 overs which is a standard number of overs sent down by a specialist spinner in a Test match," he explained.

When asked whether he is worried about facing a lot of criticism about playing in Champions League Twenty20 as he was injured during Test series, he replied: "No cricketer invites injuries. I was injured but now I am fit.

"Had there been any other tournament instead of CL T20, I would have even made myself available for that. I have been given a go-ahead by the doctors and physios and that's why I am getting ready for competitive cricket. For me, it's about playing any form of cricket," he explained.

Having seen numerous ups and downs in his 13-year-long international career which has seen him get 665 international wickets (406 in Tests and 259 in ODIs), Harbhajan has certainly learnt the art of keeping his chin-up in crisis situations.

There are people who have been writing him off but the fiesty off-spinner got 15 wickets in three Test matches in South Africa and 11 wickets in three Test matches in West Indies. His 70-odd proved crucial in India's Test win over West Indies. Before that he was adjudged man-of-the-series for his back-to-back centuries and 10 wickets against New Zealand.

"Just after one Test match, people start writing someone off as if he has not performed for 10 matches. If I hadn't been good, I wouldn't have got 400 Test wickets. I have seen a strange thing. When one gets five-for with full-tosses and long hops, he is a great bowler and if you go wicketless despite your best efforts, you are not considered good enough," he said with a touch of sarcasm.

Ask him who is the person he falls back on for technical suggestions, pat comes the reply: "Anil Kumble."

"Apart from Anil bhai, I also speak to our national selector Narendra Hirwani from whom I have got valuable inputs. Also speaking to legends like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar who are great players of spin bowling has helped me grow as a bowler. For me, it matters what my teammates feel about me."

Recently legendary off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna had publicly criticised him, terming his technique faulty which certainly didn't go down well considering Harbhajan's record in international cricket for close to a decade and a half.

"Well, if he (Prasanna) feels that way about me, little can I do about it. He is entitled to have his own opinion. But with all humility, I would like to point out that with 25 to 30 percent accuracy as he (Prasanna) has stated, you can't get 400 plus Test wickets."

He admitted that India didn't play well in England but one series can't undo all the good work done by Team India.

"We had just one bad series. This is the same set of players who took you to No 1 ranking in Tests, won the World Cup. We will fight back and it's an earnest request please don't write us off," he added.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat, pictured in February 2011. Cricket's governing body the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved a new system of qualifying for the 2015 World Cup here on Monday.

Cricket's governing body the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved a new system of qualifying for the 2015 World Cup here on Monday.

It is a result of a humiliating u-turn by the ICC after they had originally announced that the 2015 tournament would be just contested by the 10 Test-playing countries.

However, following a negative reaction to that they have decided to organise qualifying which will see four second tier countries end up fighting out the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

There will be a new 50-over League introduced which will serve as the qualifying programme for the World Cup.

The top two teams in the eight team 50-over League will qualify automatically for the World Cup and the remainder of the teams will be joined by the teams finishing third and fourth in the World Cricket League Division 2.

The top two teams will compete in the new League to decide the remaining two qualifiers. The event will take place at a venue and on a date still to be decided.

Ireland coach Phil Simmons was delighted with the announcement as his side would be among the favourites to fill one of the spots - they have a rich recent World Cup pedigree having beaten Pakistan four years ago and then England this year in the group stages.

"It certainly gives all the one-day games in the league some extra spice, and there's sure to be some high-pressure games as the league progresses," said Simmons.

The competition has already begun, and Ireland are up and running.

"We've got off to a good start beating Namibia twice, and we'll be looking to add to that with wins against Canada," said Simmons, a former West Indies opening batsman.

"We've tried to schedule the games to give ourselves the best chance of having everyone available, which isn't always easy."

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said that this system would enable all countries no matter what level they were at the moment.

"This will provide exciting context for the new 50-over League with every one of the Associate and Affiliate teams able to make their way from Division eight of the World Cricket League all the way to the ICC Cricket World Cup finals," said Lorgat.

While the 2015 World Cup will be a 14-team competition the 2019 World Cup will be a scaled-down 10-team event, with the top eight places being awarded to the top-ranked teams and two berths being awarded in a pre-qualifying tournament.

Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott were named Test player of the Year and Player of the Year respectively at a ceremony hosted by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), on Monday.

Cook - the 26-year-old opener who was appointed one day captain after the World Cup this year - shone during the year peaking with a masterly 294 in the third Test victory over India in August, though, that fell outside the time frame for the award.

It was his third Test century in six matches and 19th in all, and he is now just three shy of England's all-time record Test century total.

It represents quite a turnaround in the genial Cook's fortunes as a year ago he was close to being dropped before reviving his career with a hundred against Pakistan at The Oval.

It proved to be the springboard for a triumphant tour of Australia where he scored 766 runs, including three centuries, as England won the Ashes 3-1.

During the performance period, he played 12 Tests and in 18 innings, he compiled 1,302 runs at an average of 51.74, including six centuries and four half-centuries.

His highest score of 235 not out against Australia at Brisbane helped his team towards series victory as it won the Ashes away from home for the first time since the 1986-87 season.

The independent voting academy of 25 cricket experts put Cook first, ahead of an impressive group of players that had been short-listed, including England team-mates Trott and James Anderson, as well as Jacques Kallis of South Africa, who previously won this award in 2005.

"I think the highlight of year was when we won in Sydney, to beat Australia and Chris Tremlett to take that final wicket it was truly a great year," said Cook.

"This award is about the rest of the team not just me."

The ICC later named Trott as their cricketer of the year.

"I never envisaged winning this award and it's a brilliant feeling to be recognised," Trott said.

Trott, who alongside Cook was a bedrock of England's victory in Australia last winter with 445 runs, took the award ahead of fellow short-list nominees Sachin Tendulkar and Hashim Amla.

After receiving the award at a dinner, Trott spoke of his delight at an accolade that honoured not just his but England's achievements over the last 12 months.

Asked for his favourite memory, the South Africa-born batsman had no hesitation nominating not one of his innings but his run-out of Australia's Simon Katich on the first morning of the second Test in Adelaide.

"That run-out in the first over of the game - it was the first time I've ever got to run around a cricket field like a football striker scoring a goal," he said.

"That was the best highlight for me - although I have to say as a team Melbourne was special."

Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara became the second-ever recipient of the People's Choice Award apart from being named as the ODI cricketer of the year.

During the performance period, he played 25 ODIs and compiled 1,049 runs at an average of 55.21, including one century and seven half-centuries. As wicketkeeper, he also took 36 victims comprising 26 catches and 10 stumpings.

Sangakkara was unable to attend the awards due to playing in the recently completed Test match against Australia in Pallekele. Upon hearing the news he said: "It's a great honour first of all to have been nominated for this award and a great honour to have actually won it.

"I would like to thank the rest of my teammates, they have done a great job over the years in one-day cricket and I am privileged to be part of this and led these guys for just over two years. I thank you again, I feel very very proud."

Meanwhile, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the 'Spirit of Cricket' award for agreeing to allow Ian Bell to continue batting when he was run out in controversial circumstances during the second Test at Trent Bridge in July 2011.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: "While the initial appeal and umpire decision were correct to the letter of the law, the decision by Mahendra and his team to withdraw the appeal shows great maturity. To see players and officials uphold the Great Spirit of cricket, which has underpinned the game for more than a century, is very special."

Details about Windows 8, Microsoft's newest operating system expected in 2012, have been leaking out thanks largely to Microsoft previews and a stream of blog posts on the company's Building Windows 8 blog.

The new OS is said to be Microsoft's biggest Windows refresh since Windows 95, when desktop PCs reigned supreme and most laptops cost nearly $3000. Now, Microsoft wants to update Windows for a consumer technology world that is obsessed with online services and touch-centric devices such as the iPad and Android smartphones.

Windows 8: TL;DR* (*Too Long; Didn't Read)

So far, Microsoft has detailed a brand new touch interface for Windows 8 with the traditional desktop UI hiding underneath. The new OS also will run on both ARM and Intel processors, opening up a range of Windows 8-powered devices such as desktops, laptops, and tablets.

Windows 8 also is expected to have an OS X-style Mac App Store, and should include further integration with Microsoft's growing range of online services such as SkyDrive, Office 365, and the free Office Web apps. Other improvements include USB 3.0 support and an overhauled version of Explorer, Windows' file management tool.

Here's a look at everything we know so far about Window 8.

Get in Touch With Windows 8

The most dramatic change for Windows 8 is Microsoft's emphasis on a new Windows Phone 7-inspired touch interface. Windows 8's new start screen has large panels that are ideal for touchscreens, but that also can be manipulated by a mouse.

The Microsoft Windows 8 start screen

The traditional Windows interface with the start button, task bar, and desktop is still available and will come up any time you load a legacy app such as Microsoft Excel 2010. You can also run new Windows 8 touchable apps alongside traditional Windows apps. Microsoft said HTML and JavaScript will be the primary development language for new Windows 8 apps.

ARM and Intel

Windows 8's touch-centric interface may give traditional mouse-and-keyboard desktop fans the chills, but the new UI could help Microsoft compete in the tablet arena. Starting with Windows 8, Microsoft will design its operating system to work not only with Intel's x86 chip architecture, but also with ARM processors. ARM chips are very popular in the mobile device market and should help Microsoft's partners put Windows 8 on a range of so-called post-PC devices such as tablets.

An ARM processorThe big question, however, is whether people will be willing to give ARM-based Windows devices a chance. Apple's iPad is the most dominant device in the new generation of one-panel touch tablets. And the consensus among critics and device makers is that people are looking for slates running mobile operating systems such as iOS, Android, and the QNX-based OS on the Blackberry PlayBook. Can Microsoft succeed in the tablet arena by offering Windows with a new touch overlay? I guess we'll find out in 2012.

App Store

You can expect to see an integrated app store in Windows 8 that should let you download new software for your device with just one click. Earlier in August, Microsoft revealed on the Building Windows 8 blog the details of various engineering teams working on the new OS, and the list included an "App Store" team. It's not clear what the app store team is working on, but chances are it will be a product similar to the Mac App Store available for Mac PCs running OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and 10.7 (Lion).

App Preview

Speaking of Apps, some Microsoft partners are already hard at work designing touch-based apps for Windows 8 tablets. ZDNet uncovered a purported early design for a USA Today Windows 8 app that has a very Metro UI look and feel to it.

A mock-up of a Windows 8 app

Another Windows 8 mock-up shows an app presumably designed with in-flight entertainment consoles in mind that offers access to news, weather, and videos.

Clouds in Windows 8

Also part of Microsoft's list of Windows 8 engineering teams was a group called "Windows Online." It's not clear what that team might be doing, but there are a large number of online services that Microsoft could integrate into Windows 8, such as Office 365, Office Web Apps, Windows Live and Azure. Some integration with these so-called cloud services already exists, but there are still annoying shortcomings in Windows such as an easy way to mount your SkyDrive as a local drive accessible via Windows Explorer. Dropbox can do it, so why can't Microsoft?

USB 3.0 Support

USB 3.0 promises data transfer speeds that are up to 10 times faster than the current USB 2.0 standard, and USB 3.0 also uses less power than its predecessor. You can already take advantage of speedier USB 3.0 ports in Windows 7 thanks to third-party drivers. But starting with Windows 8, Microsoft plans on including native support for USB 3.0.

Windows Explorer: File Management Basics

The new interface for file copy information in Windows 8Microsoft has spent a fair amount of time recently talking about its overhauls to Windows Explorer for the next iteration of Windows. The new Windows Explorer will improve its file management basics such as copy, move, rename, and delete functions, which make up 50 percent of Explorer's usage in Windows 7.

The new interface puts all your basic file management functions into one window instead of having separate windows for each function. This will make it easier and more efficient to handle moving around several large files at once, such as photos and videos.

If you're copying or moving files, you can also get an expanded view to see throughput graphs and how many bits have already been transferred. Microsoft also claims its time estimates to completion will be more accurate in Windows 8.

Finally, Microsoft has improved the filename collision dialog to make it easier to figure out which files you'll be overwriting when a new file has the same name as a file already sitting in your destination folder.

Exploring Ribbons

The Windows 8 version of Explorer is also getting Microsoft's ribbon interface in a bid to make the file management tool more touch friendly, efficient, expose useful commands, and to reintroduce popular Explorer features from Windows XP. Microsoft has also optimized the new Explorer for widescreen displays and will add about 200 keyboard shortcuts for power users.

Explorer gets the ribbon interface in Windows 8.

The new Windows 8 Explorer will have three main tabs--Home, Share, and View--along with a File menu on the far left side. Explorer's primary Home tab in Windows 8 includes 84 percent of the commands users employ most often, Microsoft says, such as "Move to" and "Copy to" for moving and copying files. Microsoft has also exposed the command "Copy path" for people who want to paste a file path into another Explorer window to access a file quickly or email a link to a file sitting on a corporate server.

The Share tab offers one-click access to the "Email" and "Zip" commands, as well as other options such as "Burn to disc," print and, in a nod to the 1990s, fax. The new Explorer will also show you who has access to a currently selected file on your HomeGroup or enterprise network.

Explorer's new File menu gives power users quick access to the command prompt as well as an option to open the command prompt as an administrator. Both options open a C prompt with the file path set to your currently selected folder such as My Documents or Desktop.

There are also contextual menus in Windows 8's Explorer that only show up when you are doing specific tasks. If you open up Explorer to look at photos, for example, under the "Manage" tab you'll see options to rotate the currently selected photo, start a slideshow, or set a photo as your background.

Opening up an Explorer window to look at your computer's connected drives will give you options to format, optimize, and clean up your hard drive, eject an external thumb drive, or activate Windows' Autoplay feature. Windows 8's Explorer will also include XP's 'Up' button that allows you to move backwards through your file directories.

That's all for now, but Microsoft is expected to reveal more details about Windows 8 during the company's BUILD conference that starts September 13 in Anaheim, CA. We'll keep an eye on Microsoft's blogs for more Windows 8 news.

Earlier today, Steven Sinofsky (the president of the Windows Division at Microsoft, as we all know by now) has posted another entry on the “Building Windows 8” blog, centered on the UI of Windows 8 and how the new Metro experience could affect consumers.

An important goal for Windows 8 he emphasizes is the harmony of the two UIs: one similar to Windows 7, and a Metro interface. The inception of Windows 8, he reveals, began in the summer of 2009, before Windows 7 shipped, and the goal? To completely reimagine Windows and asking some important questions: How do you attract a wide set of developers to a new platform? How can installing and removing applications be made painless and easy? How do you prevent applications from draining battery power? With these questions and more in mind, the building of Windows 8 began.

There is no doubt that Windows 7 has been a huge success. “Hundreds of millions of people rely on the Windows 7 UI and existing Windows apps and devices every day, and would value (and expect) us to bring forward aspects of that experience to their next PCs.” Sinofsky writes. He recognizes that Windows 7 powers business software, a wide variety of apps that people rely on, and provides a level of precision and control that is necessary for certain tasks. In other words, the desktop experience provides things that you can’t do as easily with a touch-only interface. Sinofsky points out that people don’t want to carry around two devices; those who have embraced tablets also usually own a laptop for those times when they need more precise control or need to use an application that is not/will not be available for use on tablets.

The bottom line is that Windows 8 brings together all the power and flexibility you have in your PC today with the ability to immerse yourself in a Metro style experience. There are no compromises. You carry on device that does everything you want and need, which is connectable to the peripherals you desire.

What do we think? I personally applaud Mr. Sinofsky; I agree wholeheartedly with his approach. I think we can all agree that no one uses tablets exclusively. Whether at work or at home, you have another PC. For more “heavy” tasks like modeling 3D objects or animating video, we automatically look to our desktop or laptop. Isn’t it peculiar that almost no one writes applications for a tablet on a tablet, while desktop programs are always written on a desktop? The unification of the tablet UI and the desktop experience is a necessary process and one that must be well thought out.

What do you, the readers and customers, think about Microsoft’s approach?

If you’ve been following this blog, then you know today is a big day for the Windows team. At the BUILD conference we are about to preview Windows 8. There’s a ton to see in the product and so we’d really encourage everyone to check out the available streams on http://buildwindows.com, where we will webcast the keynote. The BUILD conference this week is focused on developers and hardware partners, and there are over 100 sessions (all of which will be available from the link above within about a day of the scheduled presentation time). In that sense it is good to keep in mind that today is the launch of the developer opportunity for Windows, not the launch of a product (and certainly not the launch of new devices).

Windows 8 represents a reimagining of Windows from the chipset to the experience. Since this is a week focused on developers, we also detailed the bold underpinnings of the re-imagination of the Windows platform, tools, and APIs. We will show off the opportunity to build applications for all of the customers of Windows 8, no matter what type of PC they have—from tablets to laptops to convertibles to desktops. We will show the brand new tools that allow you to code Metro style applications in HTML5/JavaScript, C/C++, and/or C#/XAML. The investments you have made as developers in all of these languages carry forward for Windows 8, which lets you choose how to best make use of the Windows 8 system services. We talked about Windows 8 being a no-compromise OS for end-users, and it is also a no-compromise platform for developers.

Many are interested in Windows 8 for ARM processors. Everything we showcased today at BUILD also runs on the ARM-based Windows PCs being created by ARM partners and PC manufacturers. Windows 8 running on ARM will ultimately be available with ARM-based hardware that you can purchase. ARM requires a deeper level of integrated engineering between hardware and software, as each ARM device is unique, and Windows allows this uniqueness to shine through. The new development tools enable you to start today to build Metro style applications that will seamlessly run on x86 (32 and 64 bit) or ARM architectures. Even if you use native C/C++ code, these tools will enable Metro style apps to target specific hardware if you choose. As new PCs become available for testing, PC manufacturers will develop seed programs for developers.

You probably want to try out the preview release—and you can. Starting later tonight you can download the Windows 8 Developer Preview. This includes a 64-bit (x64) build with development tools to build apps, and a 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) build without development tools. The releases also include a suite of sample applications (please note these are merely illustrations of potential apps, not apps that we intend to ship with Windows 8). The ISOs are linked to from dev.windows.com.

Upgrade from Windows 7 installation is not supported for pre-release code; only clean installs are supported. Reminder: this is a developer preview release and is not meant for production. It is not a beta release. We will be updating the release with various quality updates and drivers over the coming weeks/months just to exercise our overall update and telemetry mechanisms.

We’ve got a lot more blogging to do. So stay tuned. This blog continues to be a big part of the development process. Now we have a lot more shared context, and so we expect folks commenting on posts to be running the Preview so we share in the context of the release. Let’s keep comments focused on the topic at hand and we’ll pay attention for potential new topics. We know there will be a lot—that comes from reimagining a product used by a billion people!

--Steven

Slight correction inserted above.

UPDATE 2 (11:30 am PST) - I bet a lot of you heard about the machine that attendees at the conference received (this was a limited production run and is not available for sale). It is pretty cool. Keep in mind, Windows 8 is a no-compromise OS, which means you do not need to have a tablet or touch-capable machine to experience Windows 8. Mouse and keyboard are first class in the whole experience. If you are curious, a little later today we will post some of the touch hardware we have experienced in our labs so you can see what existing Windows 7-based hardware experiences we have. Keep in mind there are no PCs designed for Windows 8 yet—that’s a big part of the BUILD conference—gearing up for newly designed Windows 8 PCs of all types.

NOTE: The preview build does not include every feature shown this morning. Shown but not in the Developer Preview release include the Windows Store, Windows Live Metro style apps, and some of the user interface features. The focus of the preview is the API and development tools for building Metro style apps.

If there's one thing this country is really great at, it's coming up with clever new ways to take what is a completely normal product, apply a bit of subtle psychological manipulation, convince people that it's something special, and sell it at a jacked up price.

I'm talking here about Mexican Coke, and I do so not without a hint of irony, because I myself am a firm believer in its superiority over regular old American Coke. I mean, how could it not be better? Real sugar instead of corn syrup. Glass bottle instead of aluminum or plastic. The cachet of seeing the words refresco and no retornableprinted instead of plain old pedestrian "refreshing."

But here's the thing. More than once in the past, I've discovered that the brain has a powerful effect on the taste buds. Free-range eggs taste better? Nope. Darker colored eggs taste better. Is New York pizza better when made with New York tap water? Nope. At least my panel of experts couldn't tell the difference. I've done tests where I've fed an entire room full of people two batches of identical carrots, labeling one as organic and the other as conventional. Unsurprisingly, they unanimously pick the carrots labeled organic as superior in flavor every single time, even when they are two halves of the same carrot.

For the purposes of my taste test there were a couple of criteria I had to set up first:

Mexican Coke would come in bottles, American coke would come in cans.Of the packaging widely available in America (plastic or aluminum), aluminum is less reactive, less porous, more opaque, has a longer shelf life, and is thus more likely to give me a product that simply tastes more like it should.

All Coke must be served ice cold. Bottles and cans would be stored in the fridge then placed in an ice water bath for at least 1 hour before tasting.

All Coke must be as fresh as possible. According to Annette, canned Coke and Mexican glass-bottled coke both have a shelf life of 9 months (plastic bottle coke, on the other hand, starts losing bubbles after a mere 10 weeks). I managed to find cases of Mexican Coke and American Coke with expiration dates within a week of each other next April.

Here's what I tested in my first round. All tests were carried out completely blind. Tasters were brought one at a time to taste and did not discuss their answers with either myself nor any of the other tasters until all responses were completely collected. For each taster, tests were administered in a completely random order (both in terms of test order and sample order), and fresh bottles and cans were opened for each taster. In cases where liquid had to be poured from one vessel to another, the utmost care was taken to ensure a minimal loss of carbonation. Tasters were asked to pick their favorite from within each sample set of two.

The Tasters and the Feelers

he spread of results I got from this initial testing was surprising to say the least, and answered one thing for sure: There is a perceivable difference in the flavor between Mexican and American Coke, despite the best efforts of the Coca-Cola company to convince us otherwise.

So that settles it. America reigns supreme in the Coke flavor wars, right? Not so fast. Looking closer, we see something even more interesting: Half of the tasters seemed to have no real preference between American and Mexican Coke, while the other half of the tasters unanimously chose American Coke as their favorite for nearly every test, regardless of the vessel it was served in. We'll call these folks the Tasters—the ones who let their tongues and noses do all the deciding.

The Tasters pick out American Coke as superior to Mexican Coke a full 7 times out of 8.

When you take the Tasters out of the pool in order to determine what the other half are basing their tasting decision on, everything becomes clear: the other half of the tasters unanimously picked Coke served out of a glass bottle as their favorite for nearly each and every test, regardless of whether the liquid in there was Mexican or American Coke. We'll call these folks the Feelers—the ones who care more about the tactile sense of the bottle against their lips or in their hands than the minor differences in flavor or aroma that the product inside may have.

So just to sum up here:

People prefer American Coke to Mexican Coke from a pure flavor and aroma standpoint.People prefer glass bottles to aluminum cans from a purely tactile standpoint.

The ICC Chief made it clear that the invitations for the event were sent well in advance

London: Describing the Indian cricket team's skipping the ICC annual awards function here as a "shame", International Cricket Council chief Haroon Lorgat Tuesday said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should be questioned on the absence.

Indian team manager Shivlal Yadav claimed the invitation came late, though quite a few players were on the list of nominees.

Lorgat, however, said the team was invited several months ago for the Monday event.

"I am very disappointed that the Indian team did not attend the award function last (Monday) night," Lorgat said.

"I know for a fact that my team had invited them some months back. We send those invitations through the BCCI and perhaps this question (why the team was absent) must be asked to them."

Lorgat also said the team had confirmed their presence and the event was scheduled keeping in mind their availability in London.

"We had the confirmation of their likely attendance. In fact, the very date was scheduled around their visit and their availability in London. On the other hand, the England team attended the function."

"In fact, everybody who was in attendance last night was disappointed that India was not there. It is a great shame and very disappointing. India had a fantastic year. They were not so long ago the No.1 Test team in the world; they won the World Cup in such a great style. There were many great fans and people looking forward to their attendance."

Lorgat also criticised Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for not turning up to collect his Spirit of Cricket Award.

"The Spirit of Cricket Award went to M.S. Dhoni for that wonderful leadership that he showed when he called back Ian Bell. It was a well-deserved award and it was a shame that he wasn't there to accept it."

A high-powered committee has been charged with the responsibility of recommending reforms in the IIT-JEE to reduce financial and mental stress on students

New Delhi: IIT Council, the highest decision-making body of the IITs, will meet on Wednesday to discuss replacing the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and other engineering tests with a single national examination.

Science and technology secretary T. Ramaswami will make a presentation on the issue to all IIT directors at the meeting.

A high-powered committee under Ramaswami has been charged with the responsibility of recommending reforms in the IIT-JEE to reduce financial and mental stress on students. The final report is yet to be submitted.

The IIT Council meeting is also slated to discuss the increasing number of suicides by students on campus. This year, IITs have reported seven suicides already. The number of cases is the highest in the last five years. According to sources, the ministry is keen on forming a task force that will suggest systemic measures to address the issue.

Chennai: In the third major rail mishap in a span of two months, at least ten persons were killed and 85 others injured when a passenger train rammed into a stationary train near Arakkonam, about 75 km from here, derailing five coaches last night.

For more information, call on these helplines: 044-25347771, 25357398

"Till now eight bodies have been identified and injured have been rushed to nearby hospitals," IG Railway Police Sunil Kumar, who is at the accident spot, told PTI.

Police said 15 of those injured were being brought to Chennai for treatment and pitched dark conditions coupled with heavy rains hampered the relief work.

The mishap occurred when the speeding Chennai-Vellore Cantonment Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) rammed into the rear of the Arakkonam-Katpadi passenger which was waiting for signal at the Chitheri station, at about 9.40 PM.

Teams of National Disaster Response Force were dispatched from here to quicken relief and rescue operations while senior railway officials rushed to the spot.

Rescue workers used gas cutters to help pull out the trapped passengers from the derailed bogies while two cranes were pressed into service to clear the tracks.

Smile and laugh when someone says something funny. People will be a lot more inclined to listen to you if you seem to be a positive person. But don’t be the first to laugh at your own jokes, it makes you seem nervous. Smile when you are introduced yourself to others. Some experts says don’t keep a smile plastered on your face because you’ll seem insincere.

Have eye contact, but don’t stare

The eyes are the mirror of the soul”, and they are. The easiest way of showing what you are feeling or to see what another is feeling is the facial expression. Our emotions can be read first from our facial expressions. Eyes can captivate an audience and express what words may not be able to deliver. A word is a word, but a word expressed upon the sincerity of the eyes will allow the words spoken to reach the minds of those they are spoken to. This is why eye contact is important.

Manage some space

Manage & create some space with others. Do not too close or too far from your concern person. Taking up space by for example sitting or standing with your legs apart a bit signals self-confidence and that you are comfortable in your own coat.

Relax your shoulders

Relax your shoulders when you feel tense it’s easily winds up as tension in your shoulders. They might move up and forward a bit. Try to relax.

Good attitude

Last but not least, keep a positive, open and relaxed attitude. How you feel will come through in your body language and will make a major difference.

Nod when they are talking

Nod once in a while to signal that you are listening. But don’t overdo it and peck like Woody Woodpecker. It creates an image that you are listening to him/ her.

Lean, but not too much

If you want to show that you are interested in what someone is saying, lean toward the person talking. If you want to show that you are full confident in yourself and relaxed lean back. But don’t lean in too much or you might seem needy and desperate for some approval. Or lean back too much or you might seem arrogant and distant.

Slow down your walk speed

It indicates so many things. Walking slower not only makes you seem more calm and confident, it will also make you feel less stressed.

Do not cross your arms or legs

You have already heard you should not cross your arms as it might make you seem defensive or defended. It is also apply for your legs too. Keep your arms and legs open and remain relax until the end. Cross legs and arms is a sing of uncomfortable. The crossed-leg position is generally a supportive gesture that occurs with other negative gestures and case should be taken not to interpret this gesture in isolation or out of context. For instance when the crossed-leg gesture is combined with crossed arms the person is clearly showing displeasure with the situation or conversation.

Don’t touch your Face

It might make you seem nervous and can be distracting for the listeners or the people in the conversation. Touching face again and again is a bad thing avoid it when you are in peoples or in meeting.

Drop your negative friends

Leave your friends who have negative attitude it means you have to avoid from them do not tell them what you are going to do.

Keep you head up

Don’t keep your eyes on the ground; it might make you seem insecure. Keep your head up straight and your eyes towards the horizon. Make eye contact with that person.

Don’t fidgety

Try to avoid phase out or transform fidgety movement and nervous ticks such as shaking your leg or tapping your fingers against the table. You’ll seem nervous and fidgeting can be a distracting when you try to get something across. Try to relax, slow down and focus your movements.

Use your hands more confidently

Instead of fidgeting with your hands and scratching your face use them to communicate what you are trying to say. Use your hands to describe something or to add weight to a point you are trying to make. Use them with some control.

Hold your drink

Don’t hold your drink in front of your chest. In fact, don’t hold anything in front of your heart, it will make you seem guarded and distant. Lower it and hold it beside your leg instead.

Realize where you spine ends

Many peoples might sit or stand with a straight back in a good posture. However, they might think that the spine ends where the neck begins and therefore keep your whole spine straight and aligned for better posture.

Proactive Mirroring

When you get a good connection with someone, you will start to mirror each other unconsciously. That means that you mirror the other person’s body language. To make the connection better you can try proactive mirroring. If he leans forward, you might lean forward. If she holds her hands on her thighs, you might do the same. But don’t react instantly and don’t mirror every change in body language. Then weirdness will ensue.

Don’t expect to be perfect

Do not try to be perfect. It means do not try to show that you know each and every thing very well. It will create a negative impact on others.

Compare yourself against yourself

Do not compare yourself with others. Comparing yourself with others mean you are devaluing yourself. Compare yourself with yourself, with you power, with your strengths, and what you are? What you can do for yourself?

There is no need for you to put yourself down

Be strong, no need to put down yourself in all your decisions. Be confident this is good for me and I can make it good and most important be respected.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

India Today’s cover story of September 24, 2001 tries to put the facts and consequences of the worst ever attack on America in perspective before the hubris settled. It concludes that the myth of fortress America had been demolished and a new challenge lay before the only superpower.

Kabir Rekhi was lighting a cigarette. Standing outside his office on Broad Street, just off Wall Street in New York, this India-born Ernst & Young executive had stepped out with his boss just before 9 a.m. on a perfectly everyday Tuesday morning. As the two took their first puffs, one of the towers of the World Trade Center-hosting 155 businesses and 50,000 people-erupted. Rekhi thought it was a bomb. His boss, who had witnessed the 1993 WTC bomb attack, was remarkably unruffled: "It's a terrorist attack."

They began to walk back when they heard the second blast. This time it was the South Tower that was on fire. A second plane had struck and Rekhi was beginning to panic. His wife Gunjan would be at the train station below the WTC, he realised, changing trains on her way from their home to her office in Upper Manhattan. The train's departure had already been aborted but Rekhi did not know that. He ran towards the towering inferno looking for his wife amid a confused, chaotic and terrified mass. He was stuck in the WTC complex when the South Tower began to crumble some 45 minutes later. He began to run, part of a concourse of humanity rushing away from the crashing steel, concrete and balls of fire. "I saw somebody jump from God knows which floor. Bodies were flying like pinballs." Today, at home with his wife, Rekhi can't believe he got away without a scratch. Gunjan calls it a miracle. The Rekhis will never forget the day. Neither will New York. Nor America.

In a land devoted to trivia and statistics, the most singular reflection of terror appeared on the most unlikely mirror. On September 11, 2001, the day four hijacked aircraft shattered what a newspaper called the nation's "feeling of invincibility", the US was forced to cancel every Major League baseball game. The last time this happened was on June 6, 1944, the day of the Normandy landings in World War II. It revived memories of why the US had gone to war at all. The destruction of WTC was "this generation's Pearl Harbour". But whereas the surprise Japanese attack on the US naval base on December 7, 1941 claimed 2,390 lives, the casualties from September 11 may well cross 10,000.

The assault (see graphic) was as horrific as it was audacious: four commercial aircraft were hijacked and turned into airborne bombs, carrying a full load of aviation fuel-the two Boeing 767s headed for New York carried 90,770 litres and two Boeing 757s 42,680 litres-and deliberately crashed into the heart of the American financial and military establishment.

Across America, the reaction was swift. In city after city, the downtown areas were cleared out. The 110-storeyed Sears Tower in Chicago was evacuated as a precautionary measure. Schools ended early, people drove home. They were distraught, searching for answers. Simmering deep within was a rage for revenge. The VOX pops on radio stations and TV channels were seething. Some wanted to enlist or re-enlist in the Marines. "We need to go to war and eradicate these terrorists," said one radio interviewee. A World War II veteran captured the popular mood, "As I see the smoke and dust, I'm glad the Statue of Liberty is still standing." The most crippling moment for a country that cherishes its civil liberty came the day after. On September 12, armoured cars and soldiers with assault rifles patrolled Manhattan, an image without parallel. It could happen elsewhere, in Africa and Asia or even in Paris in 1968. Like Jean-Paul Sartre, Americans had long believed hell was other people. No longer.

The Americans want vengeance. President Bush called it a "quiet, unyielding anger" in his broadcast to the people on the evening of the first invasion of mainland America since the war with the British in 1812. Senator Orrin Hatch put it more bluntly, "We're going after the bastards." Who were the bastards? As the FBI and police swooped down on Westin Hotel in Boston, an Amtrack train-stopped and searched near Boston-and a flight training school near Daytona Beach, Florida, the biggest manhunt in American memory, involving 7,000 law enforcement officials, was under way.

Each plane, it emerged, had between four and five hijackers. At least one on each aircraft was a pilot trained in the US. Aviation officials guessed they may have disabled the transponders, which would have nullified the air traffic control's ability to pinpoint the planes' location, and may explain why they flew into the heart of Manhattan undetected. The fear is the hijackers may have similarly neutralised the cockpit voice recorders (black boxes), erasing their ability to record the final minutes of conversation.

Early clues included cell-phone intercepts from one of the hijacked planes that had a pirate talking to the Osama bin Laden group. In 1993, when the US embassies in Africa were attacked, an identical clue had given the FBI its first lead on the omen called Osama-the Afghanistan-based Saudi billionaire who is America's biggest enemy.

Outside Logan airport in Boston, an abandoned car was found with flying manuals written in Arabic and a "ramp pass" giving the holder access to restricted areas of the airport. The police identified two former students of a flying school in Venice, Florida, Amanullah Atta Mohammed and Marwan Alshehhi, as two of the hijackers who had come from Germany to the US in June 2000. Other flying schools were investigated and less than 48 hours after the first attack, almost all the hijackers were identified from passenger manifests.Two weeks earlier, American Airlines had been warned to watch out for "imposter pilots" after some flight badges and uniforms were stolen from a hotel in Rome.

There were horrors and happenings, sights and smells beyond America's wildest nightmares. The federal government closed its 8,300 offices across the country. The White House was evacuated. President Bush, addressing school children in Florida when he received the news, flew to an air-force base in Omaha, Nebraska, and in an underground bunker convened a National Security Council meeting. If this wasn't a war council, the term needed to be redefined.

It may as well as have been Independence Day or Amerika, just another disaster fantasy about the bad guys pounding Uncle Sam. The acrid stench of death replaced the hectic trading of Wall Street. The world's best known stock exchange began a prolonged shutdown, destined to contravene a convention that the US stock markets must never close for four days in a week. As fighter planes flew over cities to safeguard the skies, commercial flights were halted. Of some 6,000 flights, many were diverted to Canada or grounded in Europe. As General Norman Schwarzkorpf, the warrior hero who led the Allied forces to victory in the 1991 Gulf War, put it, "Terrorism has come to our shores big time." Protected by the Pacific and the Atlantic, the early Americans thought of their mini-continent as a natural fortress, impregnable. America would never say never again.

The American psyche is shaped by enormous quantities of nervous energy. This is a society that cannot sit still. In New York, fire-fighters, policemen, medical staff and ordinary citizens waged a heroic battle against the rubble. There were chilling stories of people jumping from the 99th floor to their deaths, running down 50 floors to safety, being pulled out from under tonnes of debris. The biggest puzzle was the flight that crashed near Pittsburgh. Why did it miss its target? At least two passengers from this plane called their families just before the crash. Both spoke of hijackers and one, who had locked himself in the toilet, told his wife "we're going to die anyway, we better do something". The prevailing wisdom is that a struggle of some sort ensued-and the passengers grappled with the hijackers to crash the plane at a desolate location rather than on the targeted White House. In an America starved of good news, it is a story on everybody's lips.

There were other immediate issues to come to grips within a country that has never faced national emergency on such a scale. There was the profiteering. The gas stations (petrol pumps) in Nebraska and California were the first to arbitrarily hike prices by 25 cents a gallon, a 20 per cent jump apparently impelled by fears that the terrorist strikes would cause a conflict in the Middle East and trigger another oil crisis.

Elsewhere, there were impromptu church services in memory of the dead. As the first appeals for blood were issued, the response was overwhelming. A people unused to being made to wait lined up silently to donate blood. Robin Graham, a hotel executive, waited four hours to respond to her country's call. Why? "I felt I had to do something. I couldn't just sit there." So was this Pearl Harbour? "No, this is not war, just a group of terrorists." Would she support retaliation? "Yes, yes, yes."

The truth will emerge. The culprits will be identified. Osama bin Laden will be punished. Yet, in some ways, the more fundamental issue is what does September 11 mean for America? This has been a land of lax security. Airports are notoriously porous, frisking is unheard of, knives are permitted if they "look okay" to the official on duty-the hijackers were armed with knives and cardboard cutters-and baggage checks are desultory. All this will now change. The media is already talking of sky marshals.

The other big issue is intelligence failure. The US apparently spends a total of $25 billion (Rs 11,75 00 crore) on its intelligence agencies. How efficient are they? Paul Bremer, who chaired the National Commission on Terrorism, was unequivocal. The CIA, he said, was hamstrung because it was not allowed to recruit "unsavoury characters, terrorists or criminals" as informers. Without a carte blanche it couldn't penetrate terrorist rings. Bremer called for a return to "old-fashioned spying" to complement technical espionage facilities. The policy of "assassination"-killing specific foreigners seen as a threat to US security-may be given a new life. It was outlawed by President Gerald Ford in the 1970s. Politically, this crisis could, paradoxically, stabilise Bush's rocky presidency. His inexperience, alienation of European allies and uncertainty with the economy, have made his early months in office anything but a honeymoon. Now he has the entire country rallying round him, Democrat and Republican. His demand for a $19 billion (Rs 89,300 crore) increase in the defence budget seems set to sail through. In the end, Sinister September represents Bush's supreme test. This is his moment of truth. Bush is very much his father's son but models his presidency not on father Bush, rather on that of Ronald Reagan. He has to emulate Reagan's annihilation of Libya in the light of a similar terrorist outrage in 1980s. He has to calm a distraught nation much like a grandfatherly Reagan did through the troubled 1980s. Fate has dealt America a blow but freed its supreme commander of domestic fetters. Bush is now supreme. He has to prove he can truly command.

President Barack Obama walks past a reflecting pool near the bronze-etched names of the victims of the terrorist attack 10 years ago with his wife Michelle, and former President George W Bush and his wife, Laura

The solemn ceremony at the site of the World Trade Centre came amid a heavy security presence permeating the area in lower Manhattan, as authorities continued their search for possible plotters of another terrorist strike.

At the ceremony, Obama and the first lady stood behind bullet-proof protection. Former President George W. Bush, who was president at the time, read a letter sent by Abraham Lincoln to a woman who lost five sons in the Civil War.

Those who lost loved ones in the attacks stepped forward to read out their names.

The city observed another moment of silence at 9.03 a.m., when United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower.

More than 200 miles away in Washington, mourners observed a moment of silence at 9.37 a.m. -- the moment American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon and killed 184 people.

People paid their respects for their loved ones, who were lost during the attack ten years ago, during the National September 11 Memorial to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

(Left) A jet airliner is lined up on one of the World Trade Center
towers in New York. (Right) A fireball explodes from one of the World
Trade Center towers after a jet airliner crashed into the building in
New York. AP Photo/Carmen Taylor.

(Left) New Yorkers walk over the Brooklyn Bridge on their way to work,
April 7, 1980, during the transit strike. (Right) People flee the scene
of the attacks on the World Trade center on September 11, 2001. AP
Photo/Carlos Rene Perez (left), Mark Lennihan (right).

(Left) The Brooklyn Bridge is seen spanning over New York's East River,
with the twin towers of the World Trade Center in the background, June
12, 1990. (Right) Smoke rises behind the Brooklyn Bridge over the East
River, and frames the skyline of Manhattan, minus the World Trade
towers, the day after hijacked airplanes crashed into both buildings
causing their collapse. AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler (left), Kathy
Willens (right).

(Left) Daniel Goodwin ("Spider Man") climbs the sheer face of the North
Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City on May 30,
1983. (Right) Smoke pours out of the World Trade Center after an air
plane struck the buildings on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001. AP
Photo/ Suzane Vlamis (left), Gulnara Samoilova (right).

Cleanup and recovery efforts continue in this overall view at the site
of the World Trade Center disaster. AP Photo/ Unknown (left), Louis
Lanzano (right).

(Left) This general view shows the World Trade Center twin towers as
construction continues on the buildings at Church Street between Vesey
and Liberty Streets in lower Manhattan, New York City, on Jun 13, 1970.
(Right) This photo taken by the New York City Police Department shows
smoke and ash engulfing the area around the World Trade Center in New
York. AP Photo/ Marty Lederhandler (left), Greg Semendinger (right).

(Left) New York's Empire State Building is illuminated at sunset in the
colors of the British flag in honor of Princess Diana Thursday, Sept. 4,
1997. (Right) In a horrific sequence of destruction, terrorists crashed
two planes into the World Trade Center causing the twin 110-story
towers to collapse on September 11, 2001. AP Photo/ Michael Schmelling
(left), Marty Lederhandler (right).

(Left) The Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline frame warships and
smaller craft for Operation Sail in this helicopter view on Saturday,
July 3, 1976. (Right) Thick smoke billows into the sky from the area
behind the Statue of Liberty, lower left, where the World Trade Center
towers stood, on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The towers collapsed after
terrorists crashed two planes into them. AP Photo/ ETA (left), Daniel
Hulshizer (right).

(Left) Medical and emergency workers, who are standing in front of the
Millennium Hilton, look towards where the World Trade Center towers used
to be, after a terrorist attack on the twin towers of lower Manhattan.
(Right) Pedestrians pass the Hilton Hotel on Church St. in lower
Manhattan, Aug. 4, 2011, in New York. AP Photos/Mark Lennihan.

(Left) The World Trade Center destruction is shown in the aftermath of
the September 11 attacks in New York. (Right) The tower known as Four
World Trade Center is under construction in lower Manhattan, Aug. 9,
2011 in New York. AP Photos/Mark Lennihan.

(Left) Firefighters work beneath the destroyed mullions, the vertical
struts which once faced the soaring outer walls of the World Trade
Center towers, after a terrorist attack on the twin towers of lower
Manhattan. (Right) The tower known as Four World Trade Center is under
construction in lower Manhattan, Aug. 4, 2011 in New York. AP Photo/
Mark Lennihan.

(Left) People covered in dust walk over debris near the World Trade
Center in New York. (Right) Pedestrians walk near the World Trade Center
in lower Manhattan, Aug. 8, 2011 in New York. AP Photo/ Gulnara
Samilova (left), Mark Lennihan (right).

(Left) Pedestrians flee the area of the World Trade Center as the
center's south tower collapses following a terrorist attack on the New
York landmark. (Right) The skyscraper known as One World Trade Center is
under construction in lower Manhattan, Aug. 4, 2011 in New York. AP
Photos/ Mark Lennihan.

(Left) The south tower starts to collapse as smoke billows from both
buildings of the World Trade Center in New York. (Right) The skyscraper
known as One World Trade Center rises in the lower Manhattan skyline,
Aug. 4, 2011 in New York. AP Photo/ Jim Collins (left), Mark Lennihan
(right).

(Left) Smoke rises into the sky following the collapse of World Trade
Center Towers in New York. (Right) The skyscraper known as One World
Trade Center rises in lower Manhattan, Aug. 10, 2011 in New York. AP
Photo/ Suzanne Plunkett (left), Mark Lennihan (right).

In 2001, USA was doing pretty good. A dastardly attack and ten years later, things have surely changed and the flux has not yet died.

On the dawn of 9/ 11 in 2001, the United States of America was riding high. It had a surplus budget, oil prices were low, the economy was doing fairly well and the country's armed forces were in their barracks.

But by the time the sun had set, it was clear that the country would never be the same again. Ten years later we know just how much it has changed. It has spent more than two trillion dollars in wars that show no signs of ending. Its economy is adrift and its people tired and confused.

The road that America set off on in the wake of the attack on the Twin Towers was not unexpected; very quickly, its armed forces overwhelmed the Taliban, and the Al Qaeda lost its sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

But then, inexplicably it veered off and attacked Saddam Hussein and overthrew his regime. This is when the US lost the moral high ground and many felt that it was American power that had now gone rogue.

The tragedy of 9/ 11 was not responsible for the global financial crisis of 2008. But the meltdown has powerfully reinforced the trend that the world is witnessing the end of American hegemony.

The markers are the milestones of the past decade - China overtaking Germany to become the biggest exporter, leading the world in the consumption of virtually everything, and overtaking the US to become the biggest market for cars.

On the other hand, the US appears to be stagnating. Its politics is gridlocked and somewhat unreal. One party insists that the gaping deficit be fought with even more tax cuts, while the other proposes schemes that expand healthcare and the deficit, without noticing that the big challenge for most Americans is to hold down jobs and get a roof back over their heads.

Tony Blair, the international statesman most closely tied to the response to the Sept. 11 attacks, believes the decade-long struggle to contain the threat from Islamic extremism is far from over, despite the killing of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden.

The former British prime minister, who famously vowed to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with the United States and took a leading role in the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in the face of domestic unease, told The Associated Press that potent threats still persist -- including in nations swept by the revolutions of the Arab Spring.

"It's completely wrong," to think the struggle to defeat extremist ideology is won, Blair said in an interview. "We shouldn't be under any doubt about this at all. Unfortunately, as I say, this ideology is far broader than the methods of al-Qaida."

"You look at Lebanon, for example and how Hezbollah have taken control there, you look at the activities of Hamas. Yemen I'm afraid, it's a long way off being resolved," Blair said. "Even in a country like Pakistan, with some strong institutions by the way, that it's still an issue, so the struggle is by no means over, but it's the right struggle to be engaged in."

Blair also expressed concern over the uprisings which have shaken the Middle East and North Africa, insisting that the West must act as "players and not spectators" to help democracy flourish from the Arab Spring.

"We've got a long way to go because some of the people getting rid of these regimes don't necessarily want the same thing as others getting rid of them," Blair said, questioning the possible role of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt's future.

"These people will need our help and support in transitioning to proper democracy," Blair said. "That isn't just about the freedom to vote in and out your government, it's about freedom of the media, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, about open markets -- and there's a long way to go on that I fear."
With the hunt on for Moammar Gadhafi, Blair acknowledged his horror over the Libyan's repression of his people, even as he defended his own instrumental role in returning Gadhafi to the international fold -- a deal sealed with a handshake in a 2004 meeting inside a tent.

Blair said "it was shocking and it's a profound shame" to see Gadhafi use violence against his own people in an attempt to cling to power.

But he said his Libya policy made the world a safer place.

"People saying 'don't you feel you shouldn't have dealt with Gadhafi now', of course we should deal with him, because we got him to change his policy on nuclear and chemical weapons, which was vitally important for the world security, and instead of sponsoring terrorism, they were cooperating in the fight against it," he said.

"The trouble is that the external policy change wasn't matched by the internal one," Blair said. "Then when he brutalizes his own people, then the action against him is completely justified."

Blair insisted that he had been right to join the U.S. in confronting the terrorism threat after 9/11, despite warnings from his own spy chief that combat overseas risked radicalizing a generation of Muslims at home.

"The fact that when we were prepared to stand up with America against this terrorism these people then want to target us more, that's not a reason for leaving the front-line and letting others do the fighting. That's not my view of life, I'm afraid," Blair told the AP in an interview.

Four suicide bombers who killed 52 commuters in the July 2005 terrorist attacks on London's transit network -- the worst al-Qaida directed attacks on the U.K. -- cited the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan in their martyrdom videos.

"I'm afraid I don't take the view that if somebody is doing something wrong and you stand up to them, and they then decide to come after you, that that means you don't try to stop them doing it," Blair said in an interview last week.

The 58-year-old, now envoy to the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers, saw his decade-long leadership of Britain defined by his decision to side with U.S. President George W. Bush in the pursuit of Islamist extremists and rogue regimes.

He saw the wave of popularity that swept him to office in 1997 erode as Britain entered two divisive wars, curtailed civil liberties and battled with the courts -- and public opinion -- over how to handle terrorism suspects both in Britain, and overseas. Blair suffered ridicule from his critics, cast derisively as Bush's "poodle."

Though hundreds of thousands of British people marched against the decision to join the 2003 Iraq invasion, Blair later led his Labour Party to victory in a 2005 national election, winning with a reduced majority.

Allegations that Britain colluded in the mistreatment of terrorist suspects overseas in the frantic years after 9/11 are now being investigated by an independent inquiry. Foreign Secretary William Hague claims the study is necessary to "clear the stain from our reputation as a country."

Blair told the AP that mistakes were made in the years after the 2001 attacks, particularly in preparations for post-conflict security and reconstruction in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It would be an odd situation if you, with the benefit of hindsight, wouldn't have done things differently and better than they were done, and obviously there's a whole set of issues around planning and decisions that were taken in the immediate aftermath of both Afghanistan and Iraq," Blair said.

A two-year British inquiry into the Iraq war is scheduled to report within months on whether Blair's government overstated the case for invasion and failed to prepare for the task of nation building.

Blair acknowledged that immediately after 9/11, Britain and the U.S. had only a limited understanding of the threat posed by Islamic fundamentalism, and said he had never anticipated that troops would remain in Afghanistan a decade after they first deployed on a mission to oust the Taliban -- who had harbored al-Qaida leaders.

"I didn't think for a moment that we would still be engaged in an ongoing struggle 10 years later in Afghanistan," Blair said. "But I think that underscores the limitations of our knowledge at the time -- that this is actually, I'm afraid, a far deeper and broader movement than we understood."

Foreign troops will end their combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, as leaders bet that local police and military forces can contain security threats and that political leaders can deliver a negotiated settlement with insurgents.

"Am I confident that it will be better after 2014? I think we're going have to carry on working at it," said Blair, who resigned as prime minister in June 2007.

As the 9/11 attacks took place, Blair was working alone in a hotel suite in Brighton, a southern England coastal resort, readying a speech to a rally of labor union leaders.

He never made those intended remarks, instead addressing the convention with a brief message of sympathy and a vow that there would be a robust response. The world's democracies would "eradicate this evil completely from our world," he told the hushed audience.

Blair described to the AP how he felt calm and determined in the hours after the attacks, quickly concluding that strikes were a blow aimed at Western values, not just the U.S. Already, he understood the impact the events would have on his own political career.

"We have just got to sometimes try and recapture the emotion and the feeling of that moment," Blair said, recalling how he recognized there would be a need to rally other nations to show support for the U.S.

"At the time, the feeling I had was one of almost a strange sort of calm, in a sense of I know what is behind this and the world has changed from this moment," Blair said. "I didn't anticipate this coming in my premiership -- I had a huge and busy domestic agenda -- but nonetheless, we have to understand that the world is a different place from now on."